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Western Ag Reporter Podcast

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6:36

Cooking - The Night Before Fair

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/08/01

It is 4-H fair season, so parents, grandparents, and 4-H’ers are in or have been in or will be in a frantic mode of getting projects ready and putting aside several days to compete at the fair. It is an exciting yet stressful experience for all 4-H families. Tami Jo Blake, former Western Ag Reporter editor, wrote this essay about her recent experience getting ready for fair. Tami Jo, her husband Beau, and their four children live and work on the PV Ranch near Hysham, Montana. I have entitled ...

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8:45

First Annual Rawhide Ranch Rodeo Pays out $70,000

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/31

Sixty-three teams representing 11 states convened in the small, ranching town of Lusk, Wyoming – situated two hours north of Cheyenne – for the first annual Rawhide Ranch Rodeo on July 25-26. With 100 percent of the entry fees going back to the winning teams, along with other highly coveted prizes, the inaugural event has been dubbed “The World’s Richest Ranch Rodeo.” At the end of the action-packed, two-day event, the 41 Spear team from Fort Washakie, Wyoming, rose to the top of a highly tal...

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4:17

Montana Lamb Jam to Promote State's Diverse Industry

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/31

The fifth annual Montana Lamb Jam is a one-stop event for everything Montana lamb. Set for August 9 at Kennedy Park in East Helena, Montana, the event will feature three, pasture-to-plate lamb dishes prepared by top Montana chefs coupled with vendors and presentations for a complete lamb experience. The original intent of the event, spearheaded by Kim Ashmore and Dave Scott and sponsored by the Montana Wool Growers Association, was to connect Montana lamb producers who were direct marketing t...

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5:31

California's Proposition 12: Impacts - Implications

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/31

On July 23, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing on California’s Proposition 12 (Prop 12). Six panelists testified, followed by a clearly party-divided discussion. Initially known as the “Farm Animal Confinement Initiative,” Prop 12 was voted into law in California in 2018. The primary function of the law was to establish “minimum space requirements for veal calves, egg-laying hens, and breeding pigs,” Holly Cook, economist for the National Pork Producers Council described. To be...

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3:14

Comments by the Publisher 7.31.25

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/31

What an amazing three days we had in Billings, Montana, last week for the annual NLVA Summertime Classic! I had the opportunity to work these three days of our video sale, and what a sale it was. The June video sales set all-time records for the various video auction companies around the nation. I talked to a pretty big number of ranchers after the June videos that were second-guessing themselves for not having their cattle sell in June and waiting for July. I must admit, I was also really wo...

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3:12

Editor's Perspective - Feral County Fair Kids -...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/31

There is nothing quite like county fair time. I actually attended my very first Weld County Fair in July of 1996, about a week after I was born, so both of my parents could be there to help my then eight-year-old sister, Chellsie, and 10-year-old brother, Micah. Those were the years where I got to run feral until it was my turn to show. My parents would essentially shuttle me to town each day, tell me what time I needed to be back at the show box during the lamb show, or to the stalls during ...

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2:02

Reader Opinion - Stress Counts with Bighorn Pneumonia

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/26

Bighorn pneumonia is a very popular disease with anyone who wants to eliminate domestic sheep from the western United States. Any time there is a bighorn pneumonia die off, the finger points at domestic sheep as the cause, usually with no corroborating evidence needed. An outcry to eliminate the offending sheep follows. But there is more to the story… - Sierra Stoneberg Holt The Mycoplasma pneumonia organism is found in healthy populations of bighorn sheep. This is true for other species, als...

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5:13

Cooking - Tribute to Peggy Mothershead

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/25

Perhaps it is my age, but it seems that I am called upon to write obituary poems very often lately. This poem was requisitioned by Peggy Mothershead before she passed away. After she had a stroke, she asked me to write her poem so she could read it before she passed. Unfortunately, I kept putting off writing the poem, because it was just too sad to sit down and do. I wish I had written it for her, but I hope somehow, she gets a copy! Peggy and her husband, Doug, ranched in Sweet Grass County ...

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0:03

Agri-Kid of the Week - Wesson Campbell

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/25

Article Link

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3:11

Prairie Ponderings - Pondering Plot Twists and Relatives

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/24

In fiction, often the weather foreshadows a plot twist. An author might use a brewing storm to foretell conflict coming soon or allow the reader to relax for a few pages with a sunny day at the beach. So, I had to wonder if the oppressive, muggy heat weighing on me as I scurried to prepare the ranch for visiting family was some sort of predictor. I tossed that thought out of my head to make room for the long list of preparations that I realized I wouldn’t finish. My daughter, Abby, mowed the ...

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1:52

President Trump Opens Australian Market to U.S. Beef...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/24

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced that for the first time in 20 years, Australia will accept shipments of fresh and frozen U.S. beef, ending decades of bureaucratic red tape and prolonged negotiations that have prevented American cattle producers from accessing the Australian market. NCBA thanks President Donald J. Trump for delivering yet another trade win for America’s cattle farmers and ranchers. “For 20 years, U.S. beef was denied access to Australia while Austral...

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5:37

Torrington Livestock Changes Ownership

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/24

Several days a week, echoes from the loudspeaker calling out pen numbers at Torrington Livestock Markets reverberate throughout the town of Torrington, Wyoming, oftentimes with sales running late into the evenings to accommodate the sheer volume of cattle on a weekly basis. Moving forward, Torrington Livestock Markets’ reputation as being one of the top auction markets by volume in the country will continue, but with a shift in ownership. On July 10, Chuck Petersen and Lander Nicodemus became...

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5:54

Oklahoma Ranch Kid, Eli Willits, Selected #1 Overall...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/24

For Reggie and Amber Willits, and their sons, Jaxon, Eli, and Hunter, their lives revolve around their faith, their family, baseball, and cattle. At certain parts of the year – like around their bull sale – their registered Hereford and commercial operation – Double Seven Ranch – takes precedence; but most days of the year, the family works around the competitive baseball schedules of their sons. Twenty-year-old Jaxon will be starting his junior season playing for the Oklahoma Sooners, 13-yea...

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4:38

National Wildfire Preparedness Level Increased

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/24

On July 12, the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group, which is comprised of fire representatives from every wildland fire agency, raised the wildfire preparedness level from Level 3 to Level 4, unlocking greater resources to be distributed nationally in response to what USDA described as an already “above normal summer fire season.” “We are in peak fire season and are rightfully raising the preparedness level to ensure we are protecting our public lands and communities from devastating fi...

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3:05

Comments by the Publisher 7.24.25

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/24

One of the main topics of conversation since President Trump took office and assembled his cabinet has been that of the new dietary guidelines that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) will be coming out with here in the very near future. In fact, he is promising to have them out by August. In mid-June, following a press conference held by RFK Jr. and others, Nina Teicholz, PhD, posted a short video from the press conference on Instagram talking about the need for more saturated fat in our diets. ...

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2:39

Editor's Perspective - Our Trip to Rapid City

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/24

My little family and I took a few days away from the ranch last week to head to Rapid City, South Dakota. Technically, the idea was that the trip was my birthday present, but for anyone who has little ones in their lives, you know that we really did it to give the kids some new experiences. The prime example of this is that we spent several hours at Reptile Gardens. If you don’t already know this about me, I have an above average fear of snakes. You could probably go so far as to call it a ph...

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1:03

Goehring Activates Harvest Hotline

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/23

Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has activated the North Dakota Harvest Hotline. “Farmers who need custom combining and combiners looking for a job should call us at 701-328-5110,” Goehring said. “Your name and information will be entered into the Harvest Hotline database to be matched up with other callers.” Goehring said North Dakota Department of Agriculture employees will answer calls to the hotline weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Callers can also leave a message on evenings and week...

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2:50

Commodity Tour News

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/21

The National FFA Organization plays a large role in the lives of students across the State of Montana. This program first started in 1928 and has since spread across all 50 states and 5 territories. Chartered in 1930, the Montana Association has a membership of over 6900 students, representing 111 chapters. The FFA Motto is “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve” and members practice this every day. Students have numerous opportunities to learn about potential caree...

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3:15

USDA Accepting Applications for an Agribusiness Trade...

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/21

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is now accepting applications for its upcoming agribusiness trade mission to Mexico City, Mexico, scheduled for November 3–6. U.S. exporters interested in exploring trade opportunities in Mexico’s dynamic agricultural market must apply by Thursday, July 31. “Strengthening export opportunities for American farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses is a top priority of USDA,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Ag...

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6:49

Banjo - Rescue Mission

Western Ag Reporter Podcast ·

2025/07/19

Last week Daisy, the pup, and Bailee, the kitten, were lured into a grain bin and found themselves trapped. Will they find a way out or will they be rescued by an unsuspected friend? “It has to be Rascal out there,” Bailee said. “Even Rascal wouldn’t stoop this low and lock us in a grain bin,” Daisy said. “What happens when it gets too hot?” “Don’t worry, like I said earlier, there’s got to be a way out,” Bailee said. She leapt up onto the cat-paw sized ledges on the frame of the bin to searc...

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